Jeremiah 48
48
Judgment on Moab
1Concerning Moab.
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
Alas for Nebo, it is laid waste!
Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken;
the fortress is put to shame and broken down;
2the renown of Moab is no more.
In Heshbon they planned evil against her:
“Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!”
You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence;#48.2 The place-name Madmen sounds like the Hebrew verb to be silent
the sword shall pursue you.
3Hark! a cry from Horonaim,
“Desolation and great destruction!”
4“Moab is destroyed!”
her little ones cry out.
5For at the ascent of Luhith
they go#48.5 Cn: Heb he goes up weeping bitterly;
for at the descent of Horonaim
they have heard the distressing cry of anguish.
6Flee! Save yourselves!
Be like a wild ass#48.6 Gk Aquila: Heb like Aroer in the desert!
7Surely, because you trusted in your strongholds#48.7 Gk: Heb works and your treasures,
you also shall be taken;
Chemosh shall go out into exile,
with his priests and his attendants.
8The destroyer shall come upon every town,
and no town shall escape;
the valley shall perish,
and the plain shall be destroyed,
as the Lord has spoken.
9Set aside salt for Moab,
for she will surely fall;
her towns shall become a desolation,
with no inhabitant in them.
10Accursed is the one who is slack in doing the work of the Lord; and accursed is the one who keeps back the sword from bloodshed.
11Moab has been at ease from his youth,
settled like wine#48.11 Heb lacks like wine on its dregs;
he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
nor has he gone into exile;
therefore his flavor has remained
and his aroma is unspoiled.
12Therefore, the time is surely coming, says the Lord, when I shall send to him decanters to decant him, and empty his vessels, and break his#48.12 Gk Aquila: Heb their jars in pieces. 13Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.
14How can you say, “We are heroes
and mighty warriors”?
15The destroyer of Moab and his towns has come up,
and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter,
says the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
16The calamity of Moab is near at hand
and his doom approaches swiftly.
17Mourn over him, all you his neighbors,
and all who know his name;
say, “How the mighty scepter is broken,
the glorious staff!”
18Come down from glory,
and sit on the parched ground,
enthroned daughter Dibon!
For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you;
he has destroyed your strongholds.
19Stand by the road and watch,
you inhabitant of Aroer!
Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping;
say, “What has happened?”
20Moab is put to shame, for it is broken down;
wail and cry!
Tell it by the Arnon,
that Moab is laid waste.
21Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the towns of the land of Moab, far and near. 25The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, says the Lord.
26Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the Lord; let Moab wallow in his vomit; he too shall become a laughingstock. 27Israel was a laughingstock for you, though he was not caught among thieves; but whenever you spoke of him you shook your head!
28Leave the towns, and live on the rock,
O inhabitants of Moab!
Be like the dove that nests
on the sides of the mouth of a gorge.
29We have heard of the pride of Moab—
he is very proud—
of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance,
and the haughtiness of his heart.
30I myself know his insolence, says the Lord;
his boasts are false,
his deeds are false.
31Therefore I wail for Moab;
I cry out for all Moab;
for the people of Kir-heres I mourn.
32More than for Jazer I weep for you,
O vine of Sibmah!
Your branches crossed over the sea,
reached as far as Jazer;#48.32 Two Mss and Isa 16.8: MT the sea of Jazer
upon your summer fruits and your vintage
the destroyer has fallen.
33Gladness and joy have been taken away
from the fruitful land of Moab;
I have stopped the wine from the wine presses;
no one treads them with shouts of joy;
the shouting is not the shout of joy.
34Heshbon and Elealeh cry out;#48.34 Cn: Heb From the cry of Heshbon to Elealeh as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For even the waters of Nimrim have become desolate. 35And I will bring to an end in Moab, says the Lord, those who offer sacrifice at a high place and make offerings to their gods. 36Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the people of Kir-heres; for the riches they gained have perished.
37For every head is shaved and every beard cut off; on all the hands there are gashes, and on the loins sackcloth. 38On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation; for I have broken Moab like a vessel that no one wants, says the Lord. 39How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all his neighbors.
40For thus says the Lord:
Look, he shall swoop down like an eagle,
and spread his wings against Moab;
41the towns#48.41 Or Kerioth shall be taken
and the strongholds seized.
The hearts of the warriors of Moab, on that day,
shall be like the heart of a woman in labor.
42Moab shall be destroyed as a people,
because he magnified himself against the Lord.
43Terror, pit, and trap
are before you, O inhabitants of Moab!
says the Lord.
44Everyone who flees from the terror
shall fall into the pit,
and everyone who climbs out of the pit
shall be caught in the trap.
For I will bring these things#48.44 Gk Syr: Heb bring upon it upon Moab
in the year of their punishment,
says the Lord.
45In the shadow of Heshbon
fugitives stop exhausted;
for a fire has gone out from Heshbon,
a flame from the house of Sihon;
it has destroyed the forehead of Moab,
the scalp of the people of tumult.#48.45 Or of Shaon
46Woe to you, O Moab!
The people of Chemosh have perished,
for your sons have been taken captive,
and your daughters into captivity.
47Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab
in the latter days, says the Lord.
Thus far is the judgment on Moab.
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Jeremiah 48: NRSV
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New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Yirmeyah 48
48
1Against Moav thus saith Hashem Tzva'os Elohei Yisroel: Hoy (woe, doom) unto Nevo! For it is made havoc; Kiryatayim is shamed and captured; Misgav is shamed and dismayed.
2There shall be no more tehillah (praise) of Moav; in Cheshbon they have plotted ra'ah against it; come, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also thou shalt be silenced, O Madmein; the cherev shall pursue thee.
3A voice of crying shall be from Choronayim, havoc and shever gadol (great destruction).
4Moav is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.
5For in the Ascent of Luchit continual weeping shall go up; for in the descent of Choronayim the anguished ones have heard a cry of shever (destruction).
6Flee, save your nefesh, and be like Aro'er in the midbar.
7For because thou hast trusted in thy ma'asim (works) and in thy otzarot, thou shalt also be captured; and Kemosh shall go forth into Golus with his kohanim and his sarim together.
8And the destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: the emek (valley) also shall perish, and the plain shall be shmad (destroyed), as Hashem hath spoken.
9Give wings unto Moav, that it may flee and get away; for the towns thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein.
10Cursed be he that doeth the work of Hashem remiyyah (deceitfully), and cursed be he that keepeth back his cherev from bloodshed.
11Moav hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his wine dregs, and hath not been emptied from keli (vessel) to keli, neither hath he gone into Golus: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed.
12But, hinei, the days come, saith Hashem, that I will send unto him wine pourers, that shall pour him out, and shall empty his kelim (vessels), and smash their jars.
13And Moav shall be ashamed of Kemosh, just as Bais Yisroel was ashamed of Beit-El, their confidence.
14How say ye, We are gibborim and anshei chayil for the milchamah?
15Moav is destroyed, and gone up out of her towns, and his chosen bochurim are gone down to the slaughter, saith HaMelech Hashem Tzva'os Shmo.
16The calamity of Moav is near at hand, and his affliction hasteth fast.
17All ye that are around him, bemoan him; and all ye that know shmo, say, How is the matteh oz (strong staff) broken, and the beautiful rod!
18Thou Bat that dost inhabit Divon, come down from thy kavod, and sit on parched ground; for the plunderer of Moav shall come upon thee, and he shall destroy thy strongholds.
19O inhabitant of Aro'er, stand by the derech, and watch; ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, and say, What has happened?
20Moav is shamed; for it is broken down: wail and cry out; tell ye it in Arnon, that Moav is destroyed,
21And mishpat is come upon the plain; upon Cholon, and upon Yahtzah, and upon Mepha'at,
22And upon Divon, and upon Nevo, and upon Beit-Divlatayim,
23And upon Kiryatayim, and upon Beit-Gamul, and upon Beit-Me'on,
24And upon Keriyot, and upon Botzrah, and upon all the towns of Eretz Moav, far or near.
25The keren of Moav is cut off, and his zero'a is broken, saith Hashem.
26Make ye him drunken; for he magnified himself against Hashem; Moav also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision.
27For was not Yisroel a derision unto thee? Was he found among ganavim (thieves)? For since thou spoke of him, thou dost scornful head wagging.
28O ye that dwell in Moav, leave the towns, and dwell in the rock, and be like the yonah that maketh her nest in the sides of the caveʼs mouth.
29We have heard the ga'on Moav, (he is exceeding proud), his highmindedness, and his conceit, and his ga'avah, and the haughtiness of his lev.
30I know his insolence, saith Hashem; but it shall not be so; his boasts have made nothing right.
31Therefore will I wail for Moav, and I will cry out for all Moav; I shall moan for the anashim of Kir-Charesh.
32O gefen (vine) of Sivmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Yazer; thy branches are spread over the yam, they reach even to the yam Yazer; the plunderer is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage.
33And simchah and gladness is taken from the carmel, and from Eretz Moav, and I have caused yayin to fail from the winepresses; none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall not be [joyful] shouting.
34From the cry of Cheshbon even unto Elealeh, and even unto Yahatz, have they uttered their voice, from Tzoar even unto Choronayim, as Eglat-Shelishiyah; for the mayim also of Nimrim shall be dried up.
35Moreover I will cause to cease in Moav, saith Hashem, him that offereth in the high places, and him that burneth ketoret to his elohim.
36Therefore Mine lev shall wail for Moav like flutes, and Mine lev shall wail like flutes for the anashim of Kir-Charesh; because the riches that he hath gotten are perished.
37For every rosh shall be shaved, and every zakan (beard) cut: upon all the hands shall be slashes, and upon the loins sackcloth.
38There shall be lamentation generally upon all the gagot (roofs) of Moav, and in the streets thereof; for I have broken Moav like a keli (vessel) wherein is no chefets (pleasure) saith Hashem.
39They shall wail, saying, How is it shattered! How hath Moav turned the back with shame! So shall Moav be a laughingstock and a horror to all them about him.
40For thus saith Hashem; Hinei, one shall fly like the nesher, and shall spread his wings over Moav.
41Keriyot is captured, and the strongholds are taken, and the lev gibborim in Moav at that day shall be as the lev isha in her birth pangs.
42And Moav shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against Hashem.
43Pachad (fear), and the pakhat (pit), and the pach (snare), shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moav, saith Hashem.
44He that fleeth from the pachad (terror) shall fall into the pakhat (pit); and he that getteth up out of the pakhat shall be caught in the pach (snare); for I will bring upon it, even upon Moav, the shnat (year of) their pekuddah (visitation), saith Hashem.
45They that fled stood under the tzel (shadow) of Cheshbon without ko'ach; for an eish shall come forth out of Cheshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sichon, and shall devour the forehead of Moav, and the crown of the head of the bnei sha'on (sons of tumult).
46Oy be unto thee, O Moav! The people of Kemosh perisheth; for thy banim are taken captives, and thy banot into captivity.
47Yet will I bring again the captives of Moav in the acharit hayamim, saith Hashem. Hinei, the mishpat Moav (judgment of Moab).
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